♪ u.s. intelligence officials revealing their belief that pro-russian rebels shot down malaysia airlines flight 17 most likely by mistake. but who pulled the trigger? and could russia be responsible in some way for this crime? this as the netherlands marks a day of mourning. the first shipment of bodies set to arrive there today. we'll bring you live team coverage of all the angles on this major story. flight suspended the u.s. and europe halting air travel to

tel aviv after a rocket from hamas comes dangerously close to the airport. no end in sight. we're live with the very latest. good morning, welcome to "early start." i'm christine romans. >> i'm john berman. it's wednesday, july 23rd, 4:00 a.m. in the east. we'd like to welcome all our viewers here in the united states and around the world. up first for us, u.s. officials coming this close, directly blaming russia for the downing of flight 17. here's the very latest on this tragedy malaysia's prime minister charging russian investigators interfering at the crime site. the plane's cockpit found sliced open by a diesel-powered saw. here in the united states, the white house is ratcheting up the rhetoric, insisting it was the russians who created the conditions that led to this disaster. >> we know for months now, heavy weapons have been moving across the border from russia into ukraine. we know that the russians have

been training russian-backed separatists in the use of those weapons, including anti-aircraft weapons. we know that the separatists have claimed credit for shooting down three different aircraft in the last several weeks. >> i want to bring in ivan watson live from donetsk in ukraine, far from that crash site. ivan, what's the latest this morning? >> reporter: well, right now, there is a plane that is being loaded with bodies of at least 200 of the victims of the doomed malaysia air flight 17 from the ukrainian city of kharkiv which is controlled by the ukrainian government. it will be delivering this very valuable cargo to the netherlands where it will be met at the airport we're told by the king and queen of the netherlands, by the prime minister of the country as well. which is declared a day of mourning. the dutch lost more than 190 citizens aboard that flight.

they had the largest losses out of all of the 298 passengers that were aboard that plane. in addition, the diplomacy continues between the governments of countries that also had citizens aboard the plane. the german chancellor angela merkel called the malaysian prime minister. and had a discussion, that included concerns about, quote, hindering at the crash site that has to be stopped. angela merkel and the malaysian prime minister agreeing that russia has to do more to put influence on the separatists who control the crash site in an unacceptable way. so the separatists here under immense international pressure. i spoke with a senior separatist official here in the rebel-controlled city of donetsk last night. he continued to deny that the rebels shot down the airliners last thursday, as has been

alleged by the ukrainian government, by the u.s. government. he said, if the rebels had these types of surface-to-air type missiles systems in their armory then they would be winning the war right now that they're fighting against the ukrainian government. and that war continues to rage. throughout the night, john, we heard artillery again throughout the north coming from this rebel-held city. we've talked to residents who had to hide in their basements during these terrifying nights. ukraine's ugly civil war continues to rage even as world leaders call for access to the crash zone. so that a proper investigation can take place, john. >> ivan watson. the war does very much continue there. our thanks to you. a day of mourning has been declared in the netherlands today, that nation preparing for the return of the victims from flight 17. that return happening later today. it turns out there were only about 200 bodies on those death

trains leaving donetsk. meaning the remains of nearly 100 people on the doomed jetliner still missing. nick paton walsh joining us on the phone from ukraine where remains being put on a train to the netherlands. it's such a sad operation here, nick. what can you tell us next? >> reporter: what i'm seeing four coffins laid out. we have just seen the arrival of the first diplomats. i can see the australian ambassador here. and a very quiet, somber, speeches are about to come. and i can see they want the same

as far as i can see here, they have crews standing on the back ramps. we've seen bodies being loaded on to some of those planes. these are the first 50 which were taken from the first refrigerated parts of the train. that train contained those bodies and the discrepancy in numbers. saying so far there were 200 bodies on board that plane. even as much as yesterday, in fact, malaysian security on the train said the number was as high as 282. but compounsding the tragedy and trauma for all those people who lost relatives aboard mh-17 continuing in fact to be clear that all the bodies are there for the final act of burial. >> there's so much work to be done. so much investigate give work with the hurdles at the crime scene, he crash site. initiation you can tell us who

are the officials there, who will be accompanying the bodies back to the netherlands? are there malaysian officials and dutch, ukrainian officials. >> reporter: yes, i am not familiar with exactly, but first people and investigators are trying to provide as much dignity as possible after this terrible event of the air crash itself. this is mental anguish, bodies were put on to the plane that brought them here. we understand there they will be here, he will take off and land where a much more substantial sermon awaits for the day of national mourning. i just heard the announcer say that the officials are here.

so i know that as well. >> nick paton walsh for us. thanks so much for reporting on that. the world is really watching that those bodies can be returned home. >> well, it gives you the sense of the international scale of this tragedy. representatives from ohm countries on the scene there, to these bodies off. and, remember, it's six days now since this flight bass shot from the sky. and only now are these bodies being given the dignity that they so deserve, that the world requires. meanwhile, vladimir putin is promising to use his influence on the pro-russian rebels who many suspect did shoot down flight 17. in a televised speech he reassured russians that they face no direct military threat at the moment. but at the same time, he seemed perhaps to distance himself from the separatists saying we are being urged to use our influence with the militias in southeastern ukraine. we, of course, will do everything in our power, but

that is not nearly enough. meanwhile, ukraine's top intelligence official claims that president putin has the blood of 298 people on his hands. listen to what he told cnn's chung la. >> you believe that was a russian? >> a russian-trained, well-educated officer. >> who pushed that button? >> who pushed that button deliberately. >> right now, there say lot of scrutiny on this man, rebel leader ewould churkin, he reported about the plane being shot down. dia diana magazi diana magnay.

he was the rebel commander in the separatist stronghold for quite a long time in april, may, june, this year. and he held that city until it was eventually overrun by ukrainian forces. and he's now pushed back to donetsk. we know he's russian and he feersd side the self-proclaimed prime minister of donetsk in the '90s. that's the breakaway republic in moldova. they were both friends from then. and they both appeared in crimea, when crimea was being annexed with the newly appointed there. i was there at the time of his appointment and his adviser then popped up in donetsk a couple of months later as an adviser to alexander borodai. and all of these men are

russian. and the question is, how much are they following the kremlin's orders. and when you ask them, i asked mr. borodai, do you speak to vladimir putin, he said, no, i have no contact with mr. putin. they position themselves as having really come to ukraine of their own free will to support those people in the east who want to stay affiliated and close to russia, presumably believing in this sort of grander idea. so i think it's not particularly controversial to hear from the head of intelligence that it say russian and intelligently trained russian who pulled the trigger, because so many fighting in the east are clearly of russian origin. but that is a different story than saying it was mr. putin who told that man to pull that trigger. that is something, you know, question marks, over whether that will ever be proven, john. >> diana magnay for us.

officials have no proof on exactly who gave the order. >> and behind the chaos and arm amounts. >> certainly in training that aloud this tragic accident to happen. >> we're following the latest on who shot down malaysian flight 17. first flights to tel aviv advising the war on gaza has made flying unsafe. just landing, secretary of state john kerry. we are live next.

all right. right now, the u.s. airlines are banned from flying into or out of the international airport in tel aviv. that's israel's largest airport. the faa taking this drastic step after a missile slammed into a home a mile away from the airport. now, the ban will be reassessed shortly after noon eastern time. former new york mayor michael bloomberg urging the faa to reverse its decision. he boarded a flight to make a pretty significant point. >> where are you trying to prove

by going there today? >> i'm not trying to prove anything. i'm just trying to show that it's safe and it's a great place to visit. and israel has a right to defend its people and they're doing exactly what they should. >> meanwhile, secretary of state john kerry has arrived in tel aviv despite the flight ban, he's trying to broker a cease-fire. standing by live in tel aviv. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, christine. whether you measure, i should point out by the tarmac behind me or by the dropoff for the passengers here at the departure terminal extremely quiet this morning. we've already explained the reasons why. the israeli government, though, believes that really they are being punished for something they have nothing to do with. in fact, they believe they are the victims of the terrorist attack. you mentioned that the rockets fell that about a mile or so away from here, that happened yesterday, of course, the israeli military said that is

one of 2,000 fired at israel from gaza. but that may be perhaps the most damaging rocket so far. because the impact its had. you know, this is damaging israel. it's reputation, of course. it's damaging its commercial enterprise. it's damaging tourism. it's damaging business. but on top of it, most of all, they say it is rewarding to terrorists, hamas. they believe that hamas deliberately targeted or tried to interfere with the airport. they have stated that is something they were trying to do. and as a result, it is israel that suffers, even though israel maintenances they're the victim in all of this, christine. >> meantime, you got the former new york mayor expected to arrive. john kerry just arriving now, trying to broker a cease-fire. what's happening next in terms of, the sort of international figures on the ground there. >> reporter: yeah. you know, there's a lot of focus, of course, the international community here would very much like to see a

cease-fire. israel maintains that it would like to see a cease-fire. in fact, israel would say it has agreed to a cease-fire twice before in this particular conflict and each case they accused hamas of breaking that cease-fire. hamas will say, they, too, would like a cease-fire but under certain condition. simply not good enough to stop the shooting, but there are other requirements they have in order for hamas to stop its reacts on israel. primarily, they'd like to see the borders open and the trade more freely be allowed between gaza and the rest of the world. israel is not going to go along with that then hamas would claim a victory. and certainly, israel does not want hamas doing that. >> martin savidge at the airport there at 11:18 a.m., usually not that quiet there. >> i have to say out of a lot of airports, it is the tightest security i have seen anywhere on

earth. i think to have that kind of disruption is in fact embarrassing. 18 minutes after the hour. a mystery on the brooklyn bridge. who raised these white flags? and were they trying to send a message? plus, new court rulings could change the future for obamacare. and the latest from malaysia airlines flight 17. right now, victims' bodies being loaded on the plane headed for the netherlands. more on that emotional scene when we come back. theft every...three...seconds. so you have to ask yourself, am i next? one weak password could be all it takes. or trusting someone you shouldn't. over 100 million consumers had their personal information stolen in recent retail store and online security breaches. you think simply checking last month's credit score can stop identity thieves now? that alone just isn't enough. but lifelock offers the most comprehensive identity theft protection available. as soon as the patented lifelock identity alert system

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pro-russian rebels continue to interfere with investigators at the crash site of flight 17. that accusation from malaysia's prime minister as we get clear evidence of the crime scene. this crime scene is badly contaminated. the plane's cockpit found sliced open by a diesel-powered saw. here at home, the white house is not letting up on the russians insisting it was moscow that created the conditions that led to this disaster. the bodies of about 200 victims are being loaded on to a plane in kharkiv, ukraine, they're to be flown to the netherlands. the brooklyn bridge is supposed to be one of the world's landmarks but today, police are trying to find out

who placed flags bleached white ones, covered the flights, ill lum naturing the flags and made the switch. officials say clearly a whole lot of preparation went into this. >> no matter what the motive was, that is the matter of our concern. i am not particularly happy about the event and have charged commissioner miller to conduct a full and thorough investigation into the circumstances. and, again, we're requesting the help of the public on this issue. >> clearly, it's embarrassing for law enforcement officials but the nypd says there's no connection at this point, that they can see, to terrorism, and they have no knowledge of any direct political statement either. conflicting court rulings putting the future of obamacare in doubt this morning. two appeals court, one in washington, the other that virginia, at odds over whether the federal government can subsidize health insurance coverage for millions of americans. plaintiffs in both cases

claiming that the subsidies only apply to state cases. that would rule out millions of consumers in 36 states that don't have but operate on a federal exchange. the issue is expected to be decided by the supreme court. in the meantime, those subsidies will be paid as prescribed. an early start to "your money." european shares higher. asian stocks higher. u.s. futures higher. stocks still moving up. it's actually pretty remarkable. the s&p 500 hit a high yesterday, gained half a percent for the day. the nasdaq as well. i want to give you a progress report, the dow is up 3.2% this year. the nasdaq and s&p 500 are up 7%. there are a lot of short-term risks, no question. so far, investors are looking to companies who are reporting better earnings. they're looking to an economy that seems to be recovering in the u.s. the fed seems to be pulling the stimulus out of the economy without too many negative

consequences. so stocks keep moving higher. >> slow but steady growth. >> yes in that. 25 minutes after the hour. new u.s. intelligence revealing the belief that pro-russian rebels most likely shot down malaysia airlines flight 17 by mistake. as right now, the bodies of the victims being loaded on a plane heading for the netherlands. we are live on the tarmac with new developments right after the break. then i get a little bit tempted ♪ ♪ by the chocolate all around ♪ turn around brian! ♪ this bar has protein oh yeah!♪ [ female announcer ] fiber one.

shot down by mistake. new u.s. intelligence revealing pro-russian rebels may have taken out malaysia airlines flight 17 thinking it was a ukrainian military transport. so who pulled the trigger and could russian and its president vladimir putin be culpable? this after a day of mourning sets over the netherlands. in just hours, the first plane of victims' bodies will arrive. recovering every angle of this big developing story for you this morning. danger in the air. this morning, the faa banning u.s. flights into and out of tel aviv. the deadly violence blamed. nevertheless, secretary of state john kerry just arrived there moments ago. we're live with the very latest. a lot going on this morning. welcome back to "early start," everyone. i'm john berman.

>> i'm christine romans. it's 30 minutes past the hour, we welcome all our viewers here in the u.s. and all of you around the world. a day of mourning is declared as that nation prepares for the victims of flight 17. it's happening later today. it turns out there were about 200 bodies on those death trains leaving donetsk, meaning the remains of nearly 100 other people on the doomed airliner are still missing. nick paton walsh joining us live on the phone from kharkiv, ukraine, where the victims of flight 17 are being put on a plane there. nick, you say the mood very somber trying to restore the dignity of these people, whose bodies have not been treated with dignity over the last few days. >> reporter: certainly, certainly, the c-130 about to fly a number of bodies. we saw four brought by ukrainian soldiers in dress are uniform. very somber moment, the c-130 engines have started and in fact

the door has closed. it's a situation, it's very hard to describe, how sad. people have managed to muster the atmosphere here on this tarmac. a remarkable scene of dignity from all the various nations affected. speaking mostly of grief, mostly sadness, felt in the countries which they represent. anger from the ukraine prime minister, and above all, the moments of silence, slowly marched toward the c-130. one of two here where those coffins a deeply tragic moment, seeing those pictures now asked to move away from the aircraft as it's about to take off, christine. >> when you look at the pictures, you can see lines of people in uniform, carefully carrying each coffin into the back of that c-130 with a reverence that is remarkable to me, given the disregard these victims were treated with in the first days of being in that

field in eastern ukraine. tell us a little bit about what happens next here. >> reporter: well, there are two processes now that will now continue. these 50 bodies, the first 50 are taken from the first and second of the five refrigerated wagons on the train that came from the area yesterday. they will now go total netherlands where they will begin forensic testing to be identified which is one of the most tragic moments here. for burial and closure for the relatives because many don't know the bodies taken from the wreckage who is who. and second, a more traumatizing process for those little tiffs awaiting news is going to continue for a few days in ukraine. you mentioned discrepancy in the numbers. there's no clear figure really from anybody as to who is entirely on that train. we know in fact that ukrainian officials and separatist officials are saying there were 282 bodies in reasonable

condition on that train and 87 body parts. that was confirmed to me yesterday by a malaysia official traveling back from kharkiv. but yesterday, they're saying they weren't confident with that number, that it was too large. as far as they were aware, according to a source that had seen the bodies loaded from the crash site, there may have been as many as 200 bodies on that train. now as they continue to go through the five wagons, the refrigerated wagons on that train, that number could rise. there were concerns here that not all the bodies were on that train. and not enough access will be given to the crash site now, given the civil war raging in that area to enable that further remains can be directed. >> the numbers just shows you the trauma of what happened at that crash site. and the chaos in the russian-backed separatists' handling of the situation. thank you so much, nick.

>> you know what's interesting, we see too often the tragic transfer of bodies at airports. dover airport, soldiers returning home. we see these pictures so reminiscent of that. but these are people who are not combatants. these are people who are not even from the countries involved. innocent victims caught in the middle of something here. >> people going on holiday. people going to an aids conference to try and help save the world. just regular people. as to the investigation there are disturbing new accusations against the pro-russian rebels in eastern ukraine. malaysia's prime minister claiming these rebels are still interfering with investigator at the site of the wreckage. it's clear now that the crime scene is badly tainted. that's obvious just by looking at it. investigators say they found the plane's cockpit sliefd open by a diesel-powered saw. in the united states, the white house turning up the heat on months cow, insisting the russians created the conditions that helped cause this tragedy. >> we know for months now, heavy

weapons have been moving across the border from russia into ukraine. we know that the russians have been training russian-backed separatists in the use of those weapons, including anti-aircraft weapons. we know that the separatists have claimed credit for shooting down three different aircraft in the last several weeks. >> phil black joins us live now from donetsk in ukraine. phil, give me a sense of what's going on at this crash scene, this crime scene now. >> reporter: well, john, we are seeing some activity there. we saw malaysian investigators there on the ground there for the very first time. i think that the real first international team to take a detailed look and begin examining the site in some detail. as you mentioned there, they're not happy entirely with the degree of access and the freedom that they have. there are other international teams in ukraine. but there's still a real question mark about when they can get to the site and begin their work. the work on the site is so

crucially important. not least, and primarily, i think, because there could still be further bodies. further remains of the victims, somewhere across that very wide crash site. that debris field that have not yet been found. and then there is still the actual physical forensic examination of the site, trying to piece together precisely what happened. and read as much from that as possible. and you make the point that this is a dramatically different crash site to what it was six days ago. there's no doubt about that whatsoever. every day on the site we have seen it degrade, change, alter further. the cockpit incident that you mentioned, we saw that. we awe ukrainian emergency workers cutting into the cockpit with a high-powered saw. presumably, they said they were looking for human remains. we don't think they found any at that location. but i can tell you the damage that was done to what could only be thought as a very crucial piece of evidence was very, very significant. so the investigation on the

ground, six days on still really inunder way with any force. and even when that does happen, it's unclear just how effective that ultimately be based upon those changes. that damage to the site itself, john. >> you can hear the concern, the frustration with the international observers, investigation on the ground there, as well as leaders from around the world. phil black, thanks so much. vladimir putin is promising to exert his influence on the russian rebels at that site. he reassured the russians they face no direct military threat at the moment while at the same time distancing himself from the separatists saying, quote, we are being urged to use our influence with the militias in southeastern ukraine. we, of course, will do everything in our power. but that is not nearly enough. ukraine's top intelligence official not mincing words insisting putin has the blood of people on his hands listen to what he told cnn's kyung lah.

>> this isn't a drunk missile, you believe that was a russian? >> a russian-trained well-educated officer. >> who pushed that button. >> who pushed that button, deliberately. >> european union now calling for a series of new sanctions to deter russia from supporting the rebels. what impact will that have? joining us from london to break this all down for us, howard wheeled a commercial and senior defense partner. thank you for being with us. it does seem that the european nation had a chance to make a strong, bold, aggressive statement against vladimir putin and russia and simply chose not to. >> yeah, i think you worded that very well. a lot of noise coming out of europe, particularly out of the uk and france, but actually not

much bold action. nor do i think there will be. europeans are in a very, very difficult situation here, they want to take action, but actually in part of sanctions, their action is very small. it's a double-edged saw here. we require germany or certain parts places great emphasis on what they take from russia in terms of energy. so it's going to be very, very difficult for germany. france has to be very careful in not upsetting germany by pushing who hard. the uk, well, the uk on russia in terms of economic partnership is actually quite small. but we've got to be careful not to upset the european union. so it's politically very, very difficult. and i don't think we're going get that much more than we've already seen rhetoric but not much action. >> i think it's ironic, too, many thought the interdependence

between europe and russia would mean russia's rise with the rest of europe would be good for everyone. and politically that would mean that some of the verbose nature of vladimir putin could be contained. instead, you are europe on its heels. look at france, for example, france has russian sailors right now in france being trained for four months on how to use warships that france is selling to russia. i think that's a perfect example of how, as these countries are trying to figure out how to sanction russia they're still doing a lot of expensive business with russia. >> they are. to be fair to france, it's very, very difficult when you're well partway through such a large billion-dollar contract as they are with these two ships, to suddenly say, oh, we'll put them up -- we'll put everything on hold. it requires a lot of political decision making. and also, it it it requires the diplomatic process makes it a lot more difficult.

so, you know, once they do that they've got two ships on their hands that the russians -- >> does that mean that what happened over the past week then doesn't really change anything? in terms of europe's position with russia? >> i think, really, the defense issue, the defense equipment issue is secondary to germany and other country's requirement to take energy from russia. so, the problem for europe is that whatever they decide to do, in terms of sanctions, they will lose more than they would gain by doing so. and that's the problem for the economy. remember, the e.u. economy, the eurozone economy is in a mess. that situation such as taking great greater sanctions on russia, which i would like to see, make no mistake about that, but if they did, europe would be the loser in terms of the economic advantage. >> howard wheeldon, thanks so

much for being with us. we appreciate your insight. it is interesting the chancellor of the exchequer in britain saying the cost of having a plane shot from the sky having the conflicts run wheelie neely, those are high. >> i can tell you there's some pandering going on. what's the right thing to do. and what's the right thing to do for the unemployment in your own country, for the industries in your country, very interesting stuff. we're going to continue to follow the latest on malaysia airlines flight 17 all morning long. first, danger in the air, the faa shutting down flights to tel aviv, as violence in gaza now makes flying to israel unsafe. not unsafe enough for secretary of state john kerry who just arrived a short time ago. we're live with all of this next. no problem. you want to save money on rv insurance? no problem. you want to save money on motorcycle insurance? no problem.

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u.s. air carriers right now forbidden to fly into or out of ben gurion international airport in tel aviv. the faa taking this really drastic measure after a missile landed just a mile away from the airport. an update on the ban is expected shortly after noon eastern time.

a lot of people expect the faa will reverse that ban. former new york mayor michael bloomberg wants the faa to reverse the decision. he wants that so badly that he boarded an el al flight to tel aviv last night to drive home the message. >> where are you trying to prove by going there today? >> i'm not trying to prove anything, i'm just trying to show that it's safe and it's a great place to visit. and israel has a right to defend its people and they're doing exactly what they should. >> meanwhile secretary of state john kerry, he has arrived in tel aviv, despite the flight ban. he's trying to talk to leaders there to help broker a cease-fire between israel and hamas and gaza. our martin savidge is standing by live at ben gurion airport in tel aviv which, martin, i imagine it looks very different than you've ever seen it before? >> reporter: certainly does, john. good morning to you, we're at the departure terminal i think pretty much the tarmac behind us and the runways beyond tell the

story. not a lot of activity. a short while ago we did see a cargo so apparently your packages can get here if passengers can't travel here for the time being. it was a little bit ago, 24 hours ago, that the rocket bar rach that came out of gaza headed towards tel aviv. at that time, israel's defense mechanism known as iron dome did go into effect and did bring down at least one of those missiles. but as you've already reported there was another one that struck a house in uhud about a while away from the airport here. it did do significant damage and there were injuries reported on the ground. it appears that rocket has done perhaps the most damage of the over 2,000 fired because of the economic impact, the p.r. impact on israel. and the israeli government is quite upset you saying look you're punishing us when we were the victims not the perpetrators of it.

i had a discussion with the israeli air force in charge of the iron dome. i said what happened there did the system fail? they said they're still investigating. i said do you feel confident about the securing of the airport. they maintain their system is 90% effective. that is an incredible success rate. but it's that other 10% that clearly has the international air carriers worried at this time. john. >> martin savidge in ben gurion. thank you, martin. we're watching live pictures right now from ukraine, kharkiv, that flight, about to take off to the netherlands, with the bodies of many of those on board mh flight 17. returning them to their nations. we're joined by nick paton walsh witnessing the scene live from kharkiv. good morning, nick. we seem -- nick can you hear me, it's john berman in new york?

>> reporter: what you're seeing behind me is one of two c-130s, you can see those, they're being loaded on to that plane, a number of coffins. we know that said 50 of the first bodies are being flown back to the netherlands. that is the very first here, with the foreign dignitary and the military. you get the scene that seems possible for these bodies to be traveling and the journey back from the separatist area. this plane one of two the australian and dutch aircraft. we have seen the c-130 land and taxiing over there. to replace the c-130 about to take off behind me. these bodies were the first

brought out, from the train that traveled back from separatist areas. there's still confusion about how many bodies were actually on that train. one dutch investigator, one of the team, are increasingly saying there were 200 bodies on that train. while other ukrainian official separatists who have been travel on that train as well say there were 282 and 87 body parts but now i think we're about to see that c-130 start to move off the runway, taxiing back towards the netherlands, john. >> nick paton walsh in kharkiv right now. you see that airplane right behind him getting ready to go. the cargo on this flight is grim. it is the bodies -- many of the bodies of the victims of mh flight 17. christine, as we've been

pointing out all morning, the dignity the pageantry, solemn, very poignant, in stark contrast to what happened over the last six days when they were left to lay in the field, when they were shot down from the sky. in their flight over kroouk. >> that's the difference between war and peace. it's the difference between barbarism and civilian. these people are finally getting a little bit of respect. and this is being handled in a professional and somber manner and for the first time in several days. >> as nick said, this flight, you're just seeing the tail go out of frame here on the tar mark. this flight heads to the netherlands. we do not know the nationality of the bodies on this particular flight. we do know about 200 of the 300 some odd passengers on board m-17 were dutch, so the netherlands would be home for many of these. and many of the families would

be there at the scene in netherlands to greet them. but the netherlands will as be the point from those on board other countries will be a processing point and they'll be shipped home to their home nations from the netherlands. >> we thank nick paton walsh from his live reporting from the scene. and the tone there is really -- >> we'll bring are you the latest developments when we come back. ♪

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welcome back, everyone. a plane bound for the netherlands is taking off from ukraine right about now. on board, some of the victims of the attack on flight 17. pro-russian rebels were we're told continue to interfere with investigators at the crash site. that accusation is coming from malaysia's prime minister. it says we get new evidence that the crime scene has been badly contaminated. the plane's cockpit was found sliced open by a diesel-powered saw. our own phil black saw it happening. in the united states, the white house not letting up on the russians, insisting it was the russians that created the conditions that led to this disaster. >> and all of this political uncertainty, geopolitical risk, as they call it, it's so interesting, john kerry arriving also this morning in israel. these two big things happening. but markets around the world have actually been moving

higher. u.s. futures are up. the certainty around the world gets stocks some of them near record highs. the s&p 500 hit an intraday record yesterday up half a percent. the dow and the nasdaq up higher as well. for the year stocks up, the dow up 3.2%. the s&p and nasdaq up around 7%. the u.n. sanctions stopping short of tougher penalties. e.u. officials agreed to expand the list of people, subject to asset freezes and travel bans. they threatened tougher sanctions into the economy's back bone if russia does not cooperate over the malaysia airlines crash. you know, europe's economy very tightly linked to russia's. the harsh penalties that some say russia deserves would hurt europe, too. and that is the tricky position they're in. >> there are a lot of words there, but not a lot of action from european leaders.

>> that's right. >> i lot of people thought what happened over the skies of ukraine would change things but does not appear to be the case. "early start" continues right now. a tragic mistake, u.s. intelligence revealing pro-russian rebels shot down malaysian airlines flight 17. most likely thinks it was a ukrainian military transport. but who pulled the trigger. and could russia be responsible somehow for this crime? this as the netherlands marks a day of mourning. the first plane of bodies set to arrive today. we're bringing you live team coverage in all of the angles of the story. flight suspended halting air travel from tel aviv after a rocket from hamas comes dangerously close to the airport there. this as violence intensifies in gaza with no end in sight. secretary of state john kerry arrived in israel a short time ago, we're live with the very

latest. good morning, everyone. welcome to "early start." i'm john berman. >> i'm christine romans. it's wednesday, july 23rd. 5:00 a.m. in the east. a day of mourning has been declared in the netherlands as the first wave of victims in the attack of flight 17 lift off from ukraine on their way home to the netherlands. that plane preparing for the victims later today turns out 200 bodies on those death trains leaving donetsk, meaning the remains of nearly 100 people on the doomed jetliner are still missing. nick paton walsh has been there. he's joining us from kharkiv, ukraine, where the victims of flight 17 have been put on a plane bound for the netherlands. he's just seen the c-130 roll away after, i think, really a respectful transfer bit officials who are there. bring us up to speed, nick. >> reporter: christine, you join me as one of c-130s